Matthew 13  That day, Jesus went out to sit by the sea.  A crowd began to gather so He got on a boat, sat down, and began speaking.  However, He spoke only in parables.  When His disciples asked Him why, Jesus told them that they had been granted the opportunity to know the "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven", but others had not.  The crowd was "seeing" but did not see. They were "hearing", but they did not understand.  Their hearts were hardened. They had closed their eyes and stopped their ears with their unbelief.

The first parable - the sower and the seed - clearly explains what happens when people hear the Word of God..

Some will hear it and not understand, so they don't go any further and Satan snatches it away.
Some will hear the Word and think it is great!  But, they go no further and it dies and they walk away.
Some hear the Word and struggle.  Things of this world choke it out and they can't or won't fight the thorns and weeds.  Their lives don't change at all.
But, some will hear the Word and receive it fully.  Their lives are transformed and they become fruitful in service to the Lord.

The second parable shows us that, even though we may not see a distinction between true believers and false ones.. God can.  He is the ultimate judge and He will justly separate the righteous from the unrighteous. It is up to Him.

Father, may we be fruitful and multiply as Your Word fills our hearts and transforms our lives.  May Your name be glorified and may Your will be done as we dwell in Your Kingdom.  Give us understanding as You provide our every need today. Grant us forgiveness and peace with all men.
Deliver us from temptations that might interfere and choke out the Word.  Rescue us from the lies and deceptions that Satan dares to sow into our lives.  We serve and worship You alone, in Christ Jesus, the Son of God and the mighty Shepherd, the One who has bought us with a precious price and who intercedes for us even now. Amen.